Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

U-c-laser Ltd.

Pixer Technology Ltd

Sergey Oshemkov

Vladimir Dmitriev

Vladimir Kruglyakov

Guy Ben-Zvi

Eitan Zait

Nikolay Nikolaevich Guletsky

Markus Mengel

Yuval Perets

Ralph Klaesges

Frederik Blumrich

Martin Voelcker

Steven Labovitz

Joerg Frederik Blumrich

Shao-Chi Wei

Thomas Franz Karl Scheruebl

Lev Dvorkin

Nikolay N Guletskiy

Vladamir Dmitriev

A method for removing particles from a mask system for a projection exposure apparatus, including the following method steps: detecting the particle in the mask system, providing laser radiation, and removing the particle by irradiating the particle with laser radiation. The wavelength of the laser radiation corresponds to that of used radiation used by the projection exposure apparatus.

Method for removing a particle from a mask system

A method of correcting a critical dimension (CD) variation in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photolithography includes mapping the CD variation of a wafer exposure field formed by a photolithography system that includes an EUV photolithography photomask. Parameters of a treatment to produce a change in reflectance at a working wavelength of EUV radiation in a region of a reflective multilayer of the photomask are determined, the change in reflectance being calculated to correct the mapped CD variation. A treatment beam is directed to the region. The region is treated with the beam in accordance with the determined parameters.

Critical dimension variation correction in extreme ultraviolet lithography

A method for repairing a defect on a substrate surface includes placing on the defect a nanoparticle that includes a conductive material. A region of the substrate surface in which the nanoparticle is placed is irradiated, the region being larger than the nanoparticle. An energy density of the irradiation is below a modification threshold for the substrate surface.

Surface defect repair by irradiation

A system for processing a substrate includes a light source to provide light pulses, a stage to support a substrate, optics to focus the light pulses onto the substrate, a scanner to scan the light pulses across the substrate, a computer to control properties of the light pulses and the scanning of the light pulses such that color centers are generated in various regions of the substrate, and at least one of (i) an ultraviolet light source to irradiate the substrate with ultraviolet light or (ii) a heater to heat the substrate after formation of the color centers to stabilize a transmittance spectrum of the substrate.

Controllable transmission and phase compensation of transparent material

Disclosed is a method of modifying of a surface of a substrate of a photolithographic mask for extreme ultraviolet radiation comprising the step of focusing femtosecond light pulses of a laser system onto the substrate so that a plurality of color centers is generated inside the substrate, wherein the color centers are distributed to cause a modification of the substrate surface.

Method and apparatus for modifying a substrate surface of a photolithographic mask

A method for inducing a controllable jet in a transparent liquid is disclosed. The method comprises providing a gas-liquid interface, providing a laser source and generating a beam comprising a sequence of laser pulses, and focusing the beam to a target location within the liquid at a predetermined distance from the gas-liquid interface and creating a plurality of cavitation bubbles, yielding a jet directed away from the gas-liquid interface. Other methods and apparatus are also described and claimed.

Apparatus and method for inducing controllable jets in liquids

A method for compensating for critical dimension (CD) variations of pattern lines of a wafer, by the correcting the CD of the corresponding photomask. The photomask comprises a transparent substrate having two substantially opposite surfaces, a first back surface and a second front surface on which front surface an absorbing coating is provided, on which the pattern lines were formed by removing the coating at the pattern lines. The method comprises: determining CD variations across regions of a wafer exposure field relating to the photomask; and providing Shading Elements (SE) within the substrate of the photomask in regions which correlates to regions of the wafer exposure field where CD variations greater than a predetermined target value were determined, whereby the shading elements attenuate light passing through the regions, so as to compensate for the CD variations on the wafer and hence provide and improved CD tolerance wafer.

Method for correcting critical dimension variations in photomasks

A system and method for repairing a photomask () for use in a photolithography process is disclosed, the photomask (), consisting of a substrate layer () and a chrome layer () over the substrate layer (), having a defect () in the chrome layer (), the method comprising: providing a pulsed laser source () for generating an ultra-short pulsed laser beam; providing optical elements for scanning, directing and focusing the pulsed laser beam at a desired target location; directing the pulsed laser beam through the substrate and focusing it on a target location located inside the substrate adjacent the defect () to write a diffractive optical element (), thus changing the scattering properties of the substrate at the target location.

Method and system for repairing defected photomasks

A method of producing in a solid transparent material, a diffractive optical element for the transformation of an incident wave in a predefined manner, by developing a mathematical model of the element in terms of the required transformation, then using that model for determining a set of points which form the desired diffractie optical element, and then focusing a pulsed laser beam sequentially onto the points in the set, such that it causes optical breakdown damage at those points. Numerical solutions for determining the positions of the set of points from the mathematical model are presented. The production of number of elements for specific applications is described. Complete laser systems capable of monitoring the production of the points in real time according to the results obtained by diffraction of the incident wave by the element under production.

Intravolume diffractive optical elements

This invention discloses a method of producing, in a solid transparent material (), a hologram of an object; the method includes the steps of: developing a three-dimensional mathematical model of an electro-magnetic field emanating from the object, the field producing an image of the object; computing a corresponding three-dimensional set of points, light scattered from which reconstructs the field; and focusing a pulsed laser beam into the solid transparent material onto each of the points sequentially, the beam being capable, when focused, of causing optical breakdown in the solid transparent material.

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Karmiel, Israel

Sergey Oshemkov